This document is one of a suite of Factsheets that are part of the support offered to schools and teachers. The
Factsheets provide guidance, ideas and link to resources to support your Citizen Science activities. They also contain
suggestions for extended learning relating to problem solving, numeracy, geography and social studies. We hope
they will provide all the guidance you need to develop lessons to fit with your own curriculum plans. For general
enquiries contact – Amanda Malcolm, Citizen Science Coordinator, citizenscience-scotland@tcv.org.uk, 0141 552
5294.
Biodiversity Factsheet
Introduction
Biodiversity can be described as the mix of species in a habitat whose variety and abundance reflect the ecological
health and wealth of the site. This can be measured by identifying individual species and counting their numbers or
area of coverage at a site. The mix of plants at a site and the management regime of a site often also reflect the
wider biodiversity of insects, birds and other animals that can inhabit the site, providing food and shelter for them.
For example, where a site has few plant species, such as a pine forestry plantation or a well mown lawn, there will be
few species of insects, birds and small mammals able to live there despite the site being densely planted.
Alternatively, where there is a well spaced, mixed species forestry plantation or a lawn where borders have been left
uncut and seeded with wildflowers and daisies and other flowers are allowed to come up due to less intensive
cutting regimes, much more wildlife will be able to live and thrive.
Certain species can be used as indicators of the health
of a habitat from the effects of pollution. These
species are sensitive to the chemical changes brought
on to exposure to pollutants in the air, water and soil.
The very presence or absence from a site can tell
scientists a lot about the chemical makeup of the
environment around the site.
Activity suggestions – The OPAL lichen survey will
take you through the process of recording lichens
on trees near you and allow you to input the data
you gather into a national survey which will display
your results on a map alongside thousands of other
survey results that you can view here.
For example Lichens, which are an organism that is a
symbiotic relationship between a fungus and a green
alga, live on tree bark and stones. Some lichens are
particularly sensitive to chemical compounds that are
present in the air due to the use of petrol, diesel and
the burning of coal. The mixture of lichens on trees
near you can be recorded and the air quality
determined from this. These chemical compounds can
be harmful to human health so determining the
health of your local lichen population can be a good
indicator of wider human health issues.
Water too can be affected by chemical pollutants
from sewage discharges, factory effluent, road runoff
and from pesticides and fertilizers from farming and
forestry. If chemicals are spilled into a river it washes
Activity suggestions – The OPAL water survey will
take you through the process of measuring the
health of a pond near you and allow you to enter
data to the national survey on ponds. Results of
your survey along with others done across the
country are presented here.
River surveying also use invertebrate larvae that
hatch into riverflies. Details on surveying rivers can
be found here but this needs close support and
training to ensure that it’s done properly. The
Riverfly partnership can be contacted through their
website and will be happy for you to contact them
for further information.
away the evidence of the chemical as it flows. A river can seem clean but may have been poisoned; water samples
will bear no trace of the pollutant, long washed downstream. The evidence that something is wrong can come from
the biodiversity of the invertebrate community within the river. Invertebrates are small insects and other creatures
that live in the water, many as larvae that later hatch into riverflies
we see around rivers and ponds. By sampling rivers and counting
Activity suggestions – contact a local
numbers and species of invertebrates present, scientists can
organisation that is planning
ascertain the long term cleanliness of a river.
surveying near your school. Offer to
help them with the surveying; this
General Biodiversity recording
will boost their surveying capacity
Many organisations, mostly charitable status based, specialise in the
measurement of specific groups of plants and animals. These
and give you access to their support
organisations have a network of staff and volunteer specialists who
and guidance.
can identify a wide range species in their chosen field. They
undertake surveys of sites, recording the diversity of species and
report the findings as a management tool to preserve or improve the
suitability of the site to increase the biodiversity of their chosen animal group and the associated plants and animals
that coexist there. These surveys often require the cooperation of volunteer recorders to ensure the coverage of the
site.
Examples of surveying organisations
Buglife
Butterfly Conservation
Bumblebee Conservation Trust
Whale and Dolphin Society
Bat Conservation Trust
Trust Scotland
Plantlife
Froglife
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
Forestry Commission
Woodland
These organisations have Scottish representation providing local
resources and support and welcome volunteer surveyors.
Activity suggestions – identify sites
which can be accessed easily and
safely, with support as needed from
sources such as local ranger service,
local authority and SNH. Identify data
repository from a list of potentials (to
be provided by the above support
orgs). Use Non Native Species
Symposium (NNSS) resources to
identify most common Non Native
plant, animal and insect species. Use
photocopies of OS maps to record
the positions of each INNS species
and submit the maps to the
identified data repository. As with all
biodiversity work, be encouraged to
take photos to help verify ID (you will
be provided with a list of
people/organisations you can contact
for expert verification)
Invasive Non Native Species (INNS)
Plants and animals all interact together to create a balanced
harmony of coexistence. They compete for space and food in ways
that have developed over thousands of years, never over dominating
a habitat or a food source to the detriment of their prey or
competitors. There have been numerous introductions by humans of
new and exotic foreign plants and animals, some deliberately for
commercial or aesthetic reasons some by accident. These species do
not have the same balance of competition and predation as native
species. In some cases this can mean their populations increase
rapidly, advancing into new areas rapidly and out competing native
species. INNS are regarded as one of the main threats to biodiversity
as dozens of newly introduced species advance across our towns and
countryside, forcing out or overwhelming native plants and animals.
Some INNS plants are now very well spread and their impact is so
serious that new legislation has been brought out to make the
release of certain species to be a criminal offence and sets out steps that need to be taken to control existing INNS.
You can help us control INNS in your local area by mapping their presence and reporting it to local authority ranger
services.
By the conclusion of the Citizen Science Project it is anticipated that learners will be able to understand:
 Biodiversity – what it is, why it is important and what it can be used to indicate
 What local organisations record biodiversity and local projects they can become involved in
 What they can do to protect local biodiversity (at home, at their school and in their local area)
 Invasive Species and the impact they have on biodiversity
Outcome statement
Curriculum area
I have used a range of ways to collect information and can sort it in a logical, organised and
imaginative way using my own and others' criteria.
Numeracy > Information handling > Data and
analysis
MNU 1-20b * Responsibility of all
I have carried out investigations and surveys, devising and using a variety of methods to gather Numeracy > Information handling > Data and
information and have worked with others to collate, organise and communicate the results in
analysis
an appropriate way.
MNU 2-20b * Responsibility of all
I can solve practical problems by applying my knowledge of measure, choosing the appropriate Numeracy > Number, money and measure >
units and degree of accuracy for the task and using a formula to calculate area or volume when Measurement
required.
MNU 3-11a * Responsibility of all
I can apply my knowledge and understanding of measure to everyday problems and tasks and Numeracy > Number, money and measure >
appreciate the practical importance of accuracy when making calculations.
Measurement
MNU 4-11a * Responsibility of all
Using technology and other methods, I can display data simply, clearly and accurately by
creating tables, charts and diagrams, using simple labeling and scale.
Mathematics > Information handling > Data and
analysis
MTH 1-21a
I can display data in a clear way using a suitable scale, by choosing appropriately from an
extended range of tables, charts, diagrams and graphs, making effective use of technology.
Mathematics > Information handling > Data and
analysis
MTH 2-21a
I can display data in a clear way using a suitable scale, by choosing appropriately from an
extended range of tables, charts, diagrams and graphs making effective use of technology.
Mathematics > Information handling > Data and
analysis
MTH 3-21a
I can select appropriately from a wide range of tables, charts, diagrams and graphs when
Mathematics > Information handling > Data and
displaying discrete, continuous or grouped data, clearly communicating the significant features analysis
of the data.
MTH 4-21a
I can distinguish between living and non living things. I can sort living things into groups and
explain my decisions.
Sciences > Planet Earth > Biodiversity and
interdependence
SCN 1-01a
I can explore examples of food chains and show an appreciation of how animals and plants
depend on each other for food.
SCN 1-02a
Sciences > Planet Earth > Biodiversity and
interdependence